PIREP: Tab A 8 - Best Cheap Avare Hardware?

[John Wiley]

This is a PIREP on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 tablet.
I've used and appreciated Avare on the 1st gen. Nexus 7 tablet, and the Droid X and Samsung S4 phones. For the past four years or so the Nexus 7 has been my primary navigation source in flight, with two S4 phones as backup and for reference when not aloft (looking stuff up, use with my $10 HIZ ADSB app & dongle to track local air attack aircraft during wildfires, initial flight planning, etc.).

The major problem that left me with was Google. Namely, they want everything in their cloud (no SD chip and crippled USB capability on the N7). This meant that on long x/c trips when wanting to back up aerial photos from my Nikon, I had to lug a laptop. From what I've seen and read, Samsung is building the best Android tablets since shortly after I bought the 1st gen N7. They typically have an SD chip slot and USB works well with a cheap OTG dongle (which I already have, in order to use the $10-$20 HIZ ADSB solution and that does work fine with the N7).

In checking out Samsung tablets, these are my priorities (*details below this list):
1. Cheap. I find that Android devices are getting better, faster, cheaper in leaps & bounds so why pay a lot for rapid obsolescence?
2. Avare. Since my most frequent use of a tablet is in flight, I need it to work well with Avare.
3. Capable. In order to eliminate the need for lugging a laptop on long x/c flights, a tablet must be capable of running other apps at reasonable speed (fast CPU, enough RAM, etc.) and with a clear & bright display.

*Details:
1. Cheap. The recommendation that impressed me most personally was Peter's post on this list, in his exceptionally informative post about screen resolution and its effect on Avare for viewing A/FD images (vs. Avare's abbreviated built-in text A/FD). If you're shopping for a tablet and share my high priority for excellence with Avare, Peter's post is a must-read. The problem I encountered was when checking out the price of his choice that meets my priorities 2&3 above very well, is the price. After extensive research he chose the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4-Inch Tablet that's currently listed at $359 new on Amazon, and apparently can't be upgraded beyond Android 4.4 Kit Kat (rather obsolete for some apps, but fine for Avare). The "cheap" solution I've tentatively chosen is the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8 that's currently listed at $169 new on Amazon, and comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop installed. The $190 saved vs the S 8.4 bought me a monster SD chip, some other toys, and some flight time.

2. Avare. I very much enjoyed the ability (after a few annoying minutes with Android's crazy directory aliasing and permissions) to pop in the SD chip from my S4 and instantly install all the charts and other materials I've downloaded. The only downside I've seen so far is the poor readability of A/FD images (Avare's text version is of course fine). But I found a great solution that can help with any app on the Tab A 8 that's built into this version of Android on this tablet: Settings/Accessibility/Vision/MagnificationGestures/On. I carefully zoom an A/FD image using reading glasses or a magnifying glass until the text is clear (slightly smaller than full page width works for me). After that, Avare seems to remember my zoom and placement so that any A/FD image I open becomes instantly readable without glasses if I tap it three times (the trigger for Android's scrollable zoom). Tap three times again to exit the Android zoom function. Obviously this feature works anywhere in any Android app, so I can also use it on Avare's charts, which could be handy in flight because it won't affect Avare's aircraft icon placement and tracking. If I 3-tap in an area off to one side of that icon, that's the area magnified so no need to scroll & zoom.

So far the thing I like most about Avare on this Tab A 8 is the XGA 4:3 ratio (1024x768), because I can leave Avare in Portrait mode (best fit on my yoke mount). After "subtracting" Avare's top and bottom fields (tabs, etc.) it's very nearly a perfect square on the Map screen so there's no longer any need to rotate the mount & screen orientation in flight.

3. Capable. So far this Tab A 8 seems noticeably quicker and more responsive than the old N7 while running Avare. I'm running it in "Power Saving Mode" yet it's still amply fast for Avare (I'll report back in this topic if battery life is a problem, but I got 5 hours on 50% of charge running various stuff at full brightness yesterday). Zoom and pan are pretty much instantaneous, whereas the N7's lag meant I had to pause between zoom and pan or end up "lost" many miles from the prior location and have to tap Avare's Center button and start over. Given that greater speed and the newer Android version (and possibility of a Samsung Android upgrade), it's likely we'll get the security updates that are no longer available for the N7. Tab A's low price also eases the pain of buying the next great 10" Samsung tablet for my wife, who meanwhile can use the Tab A or N7 when we're in a hotel and spare us the laptop lugging issue. The SD capability adds unlimited storage capacity (by simply swapping the tiny SD chips) for easily storing my camera files, and Avare works great with charts on an SD chip. I've ordered a $21 64GB Lexar microSDXC with USB 3.0 Reader for easier copying of camera and Avare files between devices, and will report back in this topic if any problems arise. Speaking of copying, the My Files app built into the Tab A 8 has a handy (though somewhat nerdy) feature to Copy or Move files freely between SD, USB and "Device" (internal 16GB memory). Typical of Samsung tablets the screen is bright, colorful and clear, and 1/2 brightness (I turn off Auto-brightness) will be fine in flight unless there's sun directly on the screen.

Another thing I like about the Tab A (and Android 5) vs the N7 is the greater ability to Disable and limit apps. There are still a few Samsung bloatware apps I can't turn off (most notably Weather), but I've turned off lots of apps and limited Permissions on most of the rest. This eases both my paranoid nature about spyware, and my concerns about app conflicts and resource hogging. With Avare loaded but off/closed and West Coast + HI charts & materials, I'm seeing 9.2GB free out of 16GB internal storage and 708MB of the 1.5GB RAM free in Samsung's "Smart Manager" (above Applications in Settings). With Avare running that RAM number goes to 665MB free. It's great having easy access to the RAM number, because that lets me avoid the slowdowns and occasional glitches some users report due to Android's typically "invisible" RAM shortage and/or swapping.

The only downsides to the Tab A so far:
A: It's awkward to hold. My hands are fairly large, but it's slippery and I'm at an age where joints are starting to get creaky. I've ordered an $8 rotating stand/case like the one on our N7 that made it easy to hold, especially after slipping my hand inside the black elastic that holds the lid closed. It also serves as a stand in either portrait or landscape mode, but I've always preferred to hold it in my hand. I've twice dropped the N7 from my lap in a C-172 onto the ramp, and the only damage has been to the case (a chip and some scuffs).
B: It's a year old (released 9/2015) so will probably stop getting updates after Android N or M, if then. Security updates may continue for another year or two, at which point maybe I can upgrade again for a similar price.
C: The "low" resolution and 4:3 ratio make it a poor choice for some apps, especially viewing video. As outlined above, it's fine for Avare and the lower resolution means longer battery life, all things (battery size/weight, CPU speed, etc.) being equal. We very rarely watch video and never play games on the N7, yet those uses would probably be fine (certainly better than the N7).
D. It still suffers from some of Google's nerd factor and resistance to offline storage, but Samsung has addressed many of those issues fairly well. From what I've seen, iOS is far less nerdy but at the expense of capabilities and flexibility.

I welcome comments, and request that anyone who's read this whole thing and chooses different hardware post their own PIREP with the make & model of your choice. My hope is that this will be very helpful to Avare users who are considering a hardware purchase.

[John Rodkey]

Great report, John.

I have the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4, which appears very similar to the Tab A you review.  I've been very happy with it.

[John W SBA]

Update: So far the GPS seems better than on the N7, in that the Tools
screen in Avare shows more satellites in green. Right now indoors the
Tab A 8 is varying between 4-6 indicating red, and at least 16 green
with Accuracy: 10. The N7 shows 1 red and 11 green with Accuracy: 20. I
recall reading somewhere that the Samsung devices use two or more GPS
systems, maybe the Russian plus our U.S. system.

On that Tools screen I also note on the red/green bar above the
satellite "target" display that the N7 shows 39/80MB. The Tab A 8 shows
43/96 so maybe it has more unused RAM "headroom" available, while also
taking advantage of the extra 16MB of RAM in some way? They both vary
occasionally even though in a static location, so unless Avare is doing
something in the background maybe the variation in RAM use is something
Android is doing.

I've yet to take it flying, but will add an update on anything I find.

[John W SBA]

Oops, make that $159.99 for the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8 we got at Costco.
I hadn't noticed until just now looking at the Costco receipt, that
their price of 189.99 for the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8 came with a $30
instant rebate at the register. So if you're thinking about buying one
(that you can return to the store with no hassle if you don't like it),
I suggest you call Costco to ensure the rebate's still on with some in
stock and then get on down to the store. This is actually $10 less than
Amazon, plus the ability to return it without hassle or shipping.

The model John Rodkey kindly mentioned has the advantage of a better
screen aspect ratio and slightly higher resolution in both the 7" and 8"
versions. That would make it more comfortable to hold, take up less
space on a yoke mount like the N7 I've been using, and probably look
better for video and any other "widescreen" apps in Landscape mode. I
prefer the 4:3 ratio on the Tab A 8, since it gives me more screen width
for East/West flights in the Portrait mode I use on my yoke mount. My
experience is that either 4:3 or widescreen tablets sacrifice
North/South screen space in Landscape mode, so I always fly with the
tablet in Portrait mode. In that Portrait mode, the Tab A 8 ends up with
a nearly square active Map area so I'm willing to sacrifice on other
apps. Does anyone know if future Samsung 8" tablets like the Tab A will
offer a 4:3 screen version?

[Phil Ishmael]

I've been flying behind the Samsung Tab S2 8.0 and have been very happy with its performance.  The 8 core processor eliminates lag, AMOLED is bright enough for those sunny days, its resolution (2,048 x 1,536) displays the finest image when you have to really zoom in, includes a micro-sd slot for all of the expansion memory you might need.  While it has an MSRP of $400 it can be had second-hand for much less.  They also offer a 9.7" version. 

[Michele]

On Wednesday, September 28, 2016 at 1:43:14 PM UTC-4, John Rodkey wrote:

Great report, John.

I have the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4, which appears very similar to the Tab A you review.  I've been very happy with it.

I'll second that.  The Tab 4 works very well with Avare, it takes external micro-SD cards, and its screen is sunlight-readable.  It's much brighter than the Tab 3 and almost as bright as the Note 3.

[Dan DeFord]

Thank you for writing this up and giving me some piece of mind. I ordered a Tab A 8 from Amazon yesterday and was nervous that it might not work well with Avare and that the GPS might not be up to snuff. Glad to hear that the whole package works well for you.

From Samsung's website, the technical specifications show that the Tab A is compatible with three Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs):

1. GPS (USA)

2. Glonass (Russia)

3. Beidou (China)

There are also other GNSSs currently in use and/or development, but the Tab A is only compatible with those three. Obviously, not all of the systems are able to be used in every location around the world. The Beidou system, for example, was launched by China, for China - it's regional and you won't likely get any Beidou positioning data here in the states. 

[Tim Taylor]

After my Nexus 7 2013 died for the second time I have been looking for a replacement. I decide to go with a used Tab S 8.4 for similar reasons. At about $150 a used Tab S offers a great bang for the buck with an outstanding display. I wanted a 7 to 8 inch display to fit on the yoke. The 8.4 display has almost 30% more area than my old Nexus 7. So far I am impressed with the speed and display.

[John]

Fellow Avare enthusiasts,

I decided to transition to a smaller tablet, my current google nexus 10 is great, but since its so big I have to strap it to my knee in flight, which takes my vision away from where it needs to be and adds to my systems scan - no space anywhere on my instrument panel for such a huge screen! The prices of tablets have come down so much I just had to buy myself a Christmas present..

I just bought the Galaxy Tab E Lite ($69.99) and the Galaxy Tab A (7" version)($97.99). Both are 8 gb internal memory, same processor, 7" tablets that are quite capable of running Avare and have a MicroSD slot (Tab E - max of 32 gb; Tab A - max of 200gb) which you can direct your charts to... the only down side to the Tab E Lite is the display, @ 1024 x 600, approach plates are a little grainy unless you pinch in to an optimal spot (there are other posts on here about this issue with some tablets/resolutions). The Tab A is much better, at 1280 x 800, its much clearer, closer to the optimal ratio (which is 1.6 i think?). I think it's totally worth a few extra bucks to go with the Tab A. The Tab E is already factory reset and sitting in the box ready to be returned to the store. 

Cheers,

John

[Scott Morris]

The absolute-cheapest platform will be a no-contract cell phone (usually around US$20, though you may have to hunt a bit), put in "Airline mode" (to disable GSM) and then turning on WiFi and GPS.   Voila - cheap wifi mini-tablet.

 I have a few of these scattered around the house as internet radio platforms and they're wonderful.  They also run Avare just fine (and since you're not using them for anything else you can clean out the memory and not even worry about an SD card).  I've tried this and it works well.  Of course the downside is it's a fairly small screen but for a dedicated navigation screen it's cheaper than two paper charts.  Also good for maps.me and other land navigation and about a zillion other things.

[John Van Engelen]

Hello John 

This is a little of a tangent but I have a Samsung Tab and can't seem to get my position to show when I switch to my IFR approach plates. It used to show fine but I deleted the program and reinstalled it because of another problem I am having with the approach plates that still persists today. Whenever I pull up an approach plate after a few mins it will automatically switch to the airport diagram. I have to manually pull up the approach plate again. This will continue to happen without end. If you have any insight to this issue or if anyone in this thread has any insight to correct this issue I would greatly appreciate the help. 

Thanks!!!

John V.

[John W SBA]

> automatically switch to the airport diagram.

I decided to stay VFR and invest that time & money in flying the
continent, so can't help you with IFR issues. But one thing that comes
to mind is whether it might be related to the Prefs setting to
auto-switch to AD during landing rollout. If it still happens with that
setting turned off, maybe one of the many IFR pilots can help. For that
you'll probably want to start a new topic with a relevant title so
they'll notice it. Do you have the same issue on other devices you've
tried?

[John]

make sure you download the plates georeference file

[Dan Ferrell]

Hi John,

Which specific Tab A 7" do you have?  I have the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 7" 8GB model SM-T280 and can't get it to acquire GPS when I'm flying (well, about 10% of the time it does).  Do you have problems acquiring GPS while flying?  I started another post about mine ( https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/apps4av-forum/eIvAFs0E4IM ), and the conclusion is it seems people believe I have a hardware problem.  I'm returning mine tonight.  Is yours a different model number?

Thanks,
Dan

[fly...@yahoo.com]

Hi Dan and everyone.
Until John can answer I can tell you that I have the same unit as you, actually I have 2 of the same, and Tab 4, 3, all 7 in, Tab A 8 In., and Tab2 10 in. and they all work fine on my knee inside the acft.
The Tab As have a very fast acquisition / location finder and very good Use time, I can easily run Avare for 8 hrs or longer. My 8 in has about the same battery capacity as my 7 in., slightly larger, but the display consumes more power and I can only use it for about 4-5 hrs.
I do Not use / allow  WiFi during normal use but my BT is always on, I also Stop all other unwanted apps from running. I don't really use the 8 in. much in flight, for me the 7 In. fits better.
I think John has an 8 in. but I am not sure what Model, S2? TV

[John Wiley]

> Which specific Tab A 7" do you have?

SM-T350

> I have the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 7" 8GB model SM-T280

I don't recall for sure, but that might be the specific slightly more
expensive one Peter highly recommended. I went cheap and it works
great, aside from needing the right zoom factor to get sharp FAA A/FD
pages. They're amply readable, but to get anywhere near the crisp zoom
of small A/FD text on Peter's model I have to zoom just right and then
use Android's built-in "Accessibility" zoom feature to make it big (I
don't bother).

> can't get it to acquire GPS when I'm flying

I seriously suggest you get it checked, fixed if you can't return it,
buy the Costco $130 SM-T350, or use the free Avare Bluetooth app to
feed it GPS from a phone or something else with good GPS you can place
with a clear view of the sky.

> Do you have problems acquiring GPS

My SM-T350 has no trouble at all on the sheet metal home-made yoke
mount in my C-172Q, quickly acquiring GPS and maintaining it even
while flying from coastal CA through the CO Rockies last week.

Hope some of this may be helpful. Please post followups here and in
your thread to update us on your progress.

Happy Flying -j

[Dan Ferrell]

Thanks for the replies TV and John!
TV, your answer gives me another data point that my Tab A GPS chip must be faulty.  So, I returned it just a little bit ago.
I'll have to figure out which one I want to try next.  John, thanks for the info about the SM-T350 (Galaxy Tab A 8.0")  I don't have a Costco membership, and their website requires that, so I'll ask some of my friends to see if they do.  Otherwise, I was thinking the Tab 4, because two people earlier in this post also said they don't have problems with that one.  Decisions, decisions!  For now I'm going to use my old tablet (Dragon Touch E70) with a battery pack constantly plugged in, because that keeps it working. Thanks again for all the help, everybody!

[Dan Ferrell]

Hi John Rodkey and Michele,

Which exact models of the Tab 4 do you have?  SM-T230 or SM-T230NU?  Is one of those the Nook?

Thanks,
Dan

[Dmitry Korotkov]

At the moment I use 2013 Nexus 7. I was looking for something newer, but failed to find anything decent enough to replace it.

Its internal GPS works better than my panel mounted KLN89B and battery was initially good for 12-13 hours of continuous avare usage in moving map mode. After a few years the battery became weaker, but it still can survive a 6hr flight.

On Tuesday, September 27, 2016 at 3:39:51 PM UTC-7, John Wiley wrote:

[Tom Pelz]

I have been using the Samsung Tab A devices for over a year.  I have been very happy with them until recently.  

My favorite has been the TAB A 9.7 which gives me good sized device to use and is easy for me to use with my large fingers.

However I used to have no problem downloading updates.  Recently the updates have been hanging up and require frequent restarts. 

has any one else had these problems?

Tom

On Tuesday, September 27, 2016 at 5:39:51 PM UTC-5, John Wiley wrote:

[fly...@yahoo.com]

Hi Tom and everyone.
No problems here but I wanted to let you know that we are in the middle of the Data updates that could slow the Servers down. You may also want to try another Charts Download Server, under Preferences?
If you try it again let us know the results, all my devices, including the Tab As are working fine, but the likely problem may be the server? TV

[John W SBA]

> updates have been hanging up and require frequent restarts.

TV's suggestion of changing server is a good place to start. FWIW I've
had no similar problems with my Tab A 350 but over the years have
occasionally seen problems with my other assorted devices. In many
cases they were fixed by reboot of the device or un/re-install of Avare
(for the latter, I first back up my Track files or anything else that
might be deleted by Un-install). A few times I've suspected other apps,
have fixed problems by un-install or Force Stop of an app but didn't
then verify a definitive cause. Anyway, thought I'd share these ideas
in case you'd like to try them.

[Tom Pelz]

I spent some time examining how I was downloading things.   After the first two months, I began to download only the charts I was going to use.  This made things worse. 

So I completely reboot my Tab A.   I also removed the data card.  I then check the memory and confirmed that anything with and AVARE in its label was gone. 

I then downloaded the all of the data.   This time things went easy.  The device works well.
In other words, it works best if the only thing you use your Samsung TAB A is as a chart holder!   Then keep it in the airplane except for the updates.

Tom


On Tuesday, September 27, 2016 at 5:39:51 PM UTC-5, John Wiley wrote:

[John W SBA]

> reboot my Tab A ... removed the data card ... then downloaded

Perhaps one or more of those steps fixed the problem.

> only thing you use your Samsung TAB A is as a chart holder

Sort of what I do with ours, though I do use quite a few other apps and
some of them have sizable data files (I'll list below). At home my wife
and I use our laptops, finding them far better than the Tab A for
routine use. Occasionally she'll check email or browse the web on her
phone, but surprisingly never seems to use either of our tablets for
that. One strategy I use starting with my prior Avare primary nav
device (Nexus 7), is a user account with her apps on the theory it would
reduce what's running in flight. Don't know if it made a difference,
because I never had problems that an un/re-install of Avare didn't fix
and probably only did that once or twice in several years. Did reboot
it a few times, not just for Avare.

Again, my Avare device now is Samsung SM-T350, Android 6.0.1, Patch
4/1/2017 (great choice of date they made, eh? :)
Settings/Storage: Internal 9.06GB used out of 16GB (not using SD except
for backup of photos from my Nikon DSLR on long trips). AvailMem
6.96GB, SysMem 4.91GB, Used 3.05GB, Other (??) 0.92GB, Wife's account
111MB, Guest account 238MB, Cached data 163MB
Settings/DataUsage (WiFi): Avare 1.13GB, gPlay 20MB, Firefox 9.28MB,
gMaps 6.09MB, etc...
MoreConnect.../NearbyDevice:Off
AvancedFeatures: all Off

I've disabled all of these apps and everything seems to work fine:
Dictionary, Drive, Gmail, Google App, gPlay
Books/Games/Movies/Music/News/+, Hangouts, Netflix, OneDrive/Note,
Photos, PowerPoint, SideSync, Skype, Word, YouTube.

Apps shown as Enabled in Applications/Application Manager: Android Sys
WebView, Avare/ADSBpro/Bluetooth/ExtIO, Calculator, Calendar, Camera,
ChartSack, Chrome (don't recall why I left this on), Clock, Contacts,
Email, Excel, Firefox, GalaxyApps, Gallery, gPlay Services/Store, Gyro,
ilosVideos, Internet, Knox, Maps (with some offline maps stored), Memo,
Music, MyFiles, OIFileMgr/Notepad/ShoppingList, OsmAnd+/ContourLines,
QuickPic, RCPcomponents, SamsungPushServ, Settings, SIMtookit, SmartMgr,
Video, VLC, WeatherForecast. I'd like to disable more of them, but that
would require rooting. Sometimes I use OsmAnd+ in flight and it gets
along fine with Avare and everything else, using the SD card for those maps.

With this setup we just took a glorious 10-day flying round trip SBA-APA
with lots of spontaneous detours. Not the slightest problem with Avare
or any of the other apps.

[fly...@yahoo.com]

Hi Tom and everyone.
I am interested in understanding more about your problem. I have devices that I keep multiple versions of apps,Data / charts.., used for testing, on the extSdcard, over  24GB, and I do not have that issue.
 I've had times when the servers were slow and needed to go to different Server but I never had to restart my device and or Uninstall.
 Can you post the location of where you have Avare installed? Is it in Default, Internal storage, or External? If you have it in default, or internal storage (8 or 16GB) I could understand the issue of running out of storage, but on the External you should never have that issue. TV

[Raymond Leto]

John

Thanks for the orig post and replies...

You may have mentioed this elsewhere in the forum, so sorry if this is a repeat question:

What is your dongle and other hardware setup that you are using the most?

Sounds like you are not using a Stratux or other separate unit and that  your "$10-20" solution is a dongle direct into the tablet via OTG cable - or into another unit (phone)?

I've been using a gen1 Nexus 7 with an OTG cable or 90deg OTG adapter with a Nano dongle... have some issue with battery life on my old 7 and have not found a charging OTG cable taht work with it... also the setup is fairly cumbersome

Thanks

[John W SBA]

> What is your dongle and other hardware setup that you are using the most?

I wrote it up on the Apps4Av website here:
https://apps4av.com/2014/07/30/10-adsb-receiver-for-avare/

You can also find it by going to the site and scrolling down until you
find the "$10 ADSB" article in the right column.

> dongle direct into the tablet via OTG cable

Correct. My understanding is that the Stratux approach still uses an
SDR like the one I have, via OTG with the HIZ app supplying data
directly to Avare w/o the IO app. Stratux is better in that you can
provide ship's power without feeding it from the Avare device. Stratux
may possibly also run two SDRs so as to provide 2-channel reception if
they've figured that out. My article is probably obsolete in terms of
Amazon product links, but the prices are probably the same or less with
better quality in the SDR especially since I think there are new chips
in them now.

> into another unit (phone)?

Yes, I now run it on my S7 or J3 phone so as to keep the tablet
uncluttered for primary nav. It's fine on the tablet of course, but I
like redundancy anyway.

> gen1 Nexus 7 ... issue with battery life

Yeh, cheapest solution might be an old Android phone that will run Avare
+ HIZ. One with a battery you can swap (like my old S4 & Droid X
phones) might work. My "new" Samsung tablet still has enough battery to
run the SDR for several hours, but the S7 seems even better (but w/o
battery swap option).

Well, I'm back to watching the big fire nearby:
http://sbcitizen.com/

Happy Flying -j

[Raymond Leto]

John

Thanks. 

Gonna try the dongle into my old Nexus 4 or 5 and see how Lon that goes or if the OTG charging cable I have ( that doesn't charge the 7)


Will let you know

Hope the for for stays away.

I'm sitting on the grass waiting for Jimmy buffet to come on stage in Cinci 

Ray
Sent from my Nexus 5 phone

[Mike Dwyer]

When using the OTG cable and a SDR you can not charge your device.  I tried everything I could think of and could not do it.  Many devices say "overcurrent detected on USB" when running this setup.  Because the Phone/tablet is on bright and the Dongle is drawing so much current the battery life is terrible.  I switched to a $100 dual radio Stratux and am happy now!

PS, charging a Samsung tablet at a decent rate requires 1.28V on the green and white USB cable wire.  If you just hook up 5V you will charge at 300ma because the Samsung devices sees a non Samsung Charger.  With the right voltage on the Data pins you will charge at 1200ma.

Fly Avare!

Mike 

[John Rodkey]

Sorry I didn't see this when you posted it.  I have at SM-T330NU

[David Chasteen]

Perhaps OBE, but I can report that I'm using a Kindle Fire HD8 with stratux and it works great. Probably hard to find a cheaper hardware platform than that. You'll have to manually install, of course. No play store unless you sideload.

[Cory hohman]

I did a fair amount of research across tablets and EFB and went with the Samsung Tab A, Avare and Stratux.  I mount my Tab A with RAM MOUNTS RAM-B-201-201U-C Standard Double Socket Arm using the  RAM-HOL-TAB24U Cradle w/Back Ball fits Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 & Tab S 8.4.  Never been happier.   Cory

[Diane Cook]

Hi folks, Costco has a sale on the Samsung Galaxy TabA 8”. It is Wi-Fi only, has 16gb of internal memory and comes with a 16gb so card, all for $129.99. They say it has Nougat on it.

Will this be a good option for Avare in a small (LSA) cockpit. We just got an EchoUAT running the Adsb in and out, and it works great on our Samsung Phones (G9+ and G7Edge) and Avare, so thinking this might be a nice upgrade. Any reason this might be best choice?

[Chip Davis]

Actually Diane, that's where I picked up my first (and so far only)
Avare tablet two and half years ago.  Mine's an earlier model
(SM-T350), same kernel (Nougat), same freebie chip (16 GB), same
useless sleeve, same price.  The Galaxy TabA 8 was considered to have
the best pixel aspect ratio to display the Avare charts, and yours has
a higher resolution.

Your SM-T380 has a faster processor, a half a Gig more RAM, and a
heftier battery.  You said it's "Wi-Fi only" but I'm pretty sure it
has Bluetooth as well.  Also (I haven't deciphered all the suffix
letter codes) I suspect it actually has internal GPS as well (mine
does).  Look up the full model number and see.

If you don't really need the latest/greatest/sexiest tablet for
running Avare (and you really don't) I'd say that's an excellent buy,
and frees up a few bucks for the requisite extras.

I immediately swapped out the chip for a 64 GB one thinking I would
need it for all the charts on a long XC.  Turns out Avare is very
parsimonious in its storage demands.  I don't think I've ever had more
than 6 GB of charts/plates/AFDs/etc. installed, so that's not a
priority upgrade.

My best investment was in a Bluetooth keyboard and a folio to hold
them both.  I'm very happy with my 1byone.com Multifunction Keyboard
with Touchpad. (That's the numeral '1', not a lowercase 'L'.)  The
folio came from Walmart and features a magnetic closure and the
ability to stand up in landscape or portrait orientation. In order to
accommodate the keyboard I bought the one designed for a 10" tablet. 
Its elastic corner clips hold the 8" tablet just fine.

So now when I go on a trip, I rarely take my laptop.  The tablet
attaches to a homebrew yoke mount in flight, and goes back into its
folio for the other computer needs I have on the road.

I recommend you snap that tablet up, install Avare, download a bunch
of charts and plates, and go flying.

If you're interested in my yoke mount, contact me off-list.

HTH,

-Chip-  avia...@gmail.com
1960 Cessna 172A "The Speeding Pullet"
2016 Mosquito XE285 "The Flying JetSki"

[Diane Cook]

Thanks, Chip, this is very helpful. I’ll be making another trip to Costco today...who knows what else I’ll come home with!
I sent a longer email reply to you, apparently off line, but didn’t want the community to think I was not appreciative of your detailed reply.
Thanks again for your help!
Diane

[Ed Vargas]

I researched tablets when I was initially looking to run Fltplan, and saw that most of the Galaxy tablets had internal GPS, as well as current o/s versions.  I have a kindle fire HD, so it doesn't have internal GPS, but I get that data from my Stratux homebuilt ADSB-IN box.  The kindle connects to the stratux using a stratux specific wifi network on the IP address of 192.168.10.1 (or perhaps 10.10).  In Avare you just need to allow port 4000 to use wifi in the I/O settings.  The kindle I have has 64 GB of storage, and I haven't come close to filling that even with the charts from both Fltplan and Avare being loaded.

[Byron L]

I just bought a TAB A  (T380)  primarily for use with AVARE. After installation, I noticed that the PFD does not move. Has anyone else tried to use the PFD with a tab A? I'm wondering if the tab A doesn't have the accelerometers needed for this function or do I have a defective tablet?  I would appreciate any input...

[Mike H]

I can confirm that the PFD on a SM-T380 will not work. I think it has an accelerometer, but no gyroscope or compass. But I'm not using the PFD anyway: the sensors of most Android devices are too unreliable. I rather rely on the aircraft instruments.

That aside, I think the Samsung Tab A (SM-T380) is one of the best devices for Avare:

• Bright display with an "overdrive" feature that will make the display even brighter.
• Long battery run time: hours even when using my ADSB solution without extra power.
• Large display but small enough to fit on my leg. (Can't mount the device anywhere in a helicopter, I need to keep my hands close to the controls)
• Very affordable.

I add a "matte" screen protector for anti-glare and use a standard case to mount it to my leg using two velcro straps. The case pen-holder nicely holds the ADSB antenna. Some pictures below.

Regards, Mike

[Kevin Jarchow]

The Tab e is pretty good too. The disadvantage is the internal memory is only 8gb verses 16gb for the A. But that's outweighed by the ability to add expanded memory. 
And the screen is a bit larger on the E verses the A. 
Plus...it's usually cheaper. 

Nice all around aviation tablet. 
Now that Boeing has bought Foreflight, I'm sure some things are gonna change. 

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[Ed Vargas]

Mike H -

Would it be possible for you to describe the sequence of components that you use to get ADS-B In data showing on your Avare app?  I built a Stratux box last summer, and it works pretty good, but it sounds like the Android app may be a sleeker way to do the same trick.  Thanks.

[Jeffrey Ross]

Mike, only comment I have with the antenna mount is the polarization. You want vertical polarization and by mounting it the way you are (horizontal) you are probably loosing more than half the signal strength.

I like the idea of a matte screen protector too.

Jeff

[Mike H]

What you need is the following:

1. Android device that supports OTG. You can verify this with one of the OTG-check apps.
2. Any OTG adapter in order to plug in the USB dongle (optionally you can choose one that allows to supply power to the dongle, to save battery).
3. The ADSB Receiver app (this is a free test version, full version is $2.49) to feed the data to Avare.

Connect the OTG cable to your Android device and plug in the dongle. Start the ADSB Receiver app and press start. Avare will be detected automatically and data is sent. Ensure to select "Use ADSB weather" in Avare. The solution will provide UAT and ES, traffic and weather. Here is a list of example hardware, should be around $10-20.

Regards, Mike

[Mike H]

Thanks for this Jeff. Indeed, vertically mounted would be the better option, but it will then usually clash with the cyclic. I still get quite good results with this setup.

Regards, Mike

[tvcable]

Thanks! After reading all of the suggestion I found one for $100 that came with a money back warrantee. The tablet will only be used for AVVARE since all other activities are on my iPad.

Charles

On Mar 11, 2019, at 1:41 PM, Mike H <m...@hiz.ch> wrote:

I can confirm that the PFD on a SM-T380 will not work. I think it has an accelerometer, but no gyroscope or compass. But I'm not using the PFD anyway: the sensors of most Android devices are too unreliable. I rather rely on the aircraft instruments.

That aside, I think the Samsung Tab A (SM-T380) is one of the best devices for Avare:

• Bright display with an "overdrive" feature that will make the display even brighter.
• Long battery run time: hours even when using my ADSB solution without extra power.
• Large display but small enough to fit on my leg. (Can't mount the device anywhere in a helicopter, I need to keep my hands close to the controls)
• Very affordable.

I add a "matte" screen protector for anti-glare and use a standard case to mount it to my leg using two velcro straps. The case pen-holder nicely holds the ADSB antenna. Some pictures below.

Regards, Mike

<IMG_20190311_132939.jpg>

<IMG_20190311_133050.jpg>

On Sunday, March 10, 2019 at 11:01:12 PM UTC-4, Byron L wrote:

I just bought a TAB A  (T380)  primarily for use with AVARE. After installation, I noticed that the PFD does not move. Has anyone else tried to use the PFD with a tab A? I'm wondering if the tab A doesn't have the accelerometers needed for this function or do I have a defective tablet?  I would appreciate any input...

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<IMG_20190311_132939.jpg><IMG_20190311_133050.jpg>

[fly...@yahoo.com]

Hi Byron and everybody.

There are some apps that will show all your functions in the tablet. One is called Z-Device test.

Images below show the Tab A 280. TV

[Byron L]

Thanks for the info. I was not planning to use the PFD except as a crosscheck in case of instrument failures. It's not a big deal that the PFD isn't available using the tab A, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't an issue of a defective tablet.  I'm very pleased with the tab A so far. 

[Rap McBurney]

Hi guys, been off the forums due to a bunch of things, sold the Tiger, bought a Thorp.  Cockpit is tiny, so I need a smaller AVARE screen and ADSb in (already have out).  This post is amazing!!  I have a drawer full of TracFones, and the LG (who cares version) is perfect for my application.  You just saved me big bucks looking for a small screen Tablet.  Next step is the ADSb in solution, looks like Stratux wifi is the best solution for me.  Plenty of room behind the seats, not much up front.

Thanks again for this great forum group and AVARE.  

I think I'm due for another dontation.

Rap

On Friday, January 27, 2017 at 9:29:22 AM UTC-6, Scott Morris wrote:

The absolute-cheapest platform will be a no-contract cell phone (usually around US$20, though you may have to hunt a bit), put in "Airline mode" (to disable GSM) and then turning on WiFi and GPS.   Voila - cheap wifi mini-tablet.

 I have a few of these scattered around the house as internet radio platforms and they're wonderful.  They also run Avare just fine (and since you're not using them for anything else you can clean out the memory and not even worry about an SD card).  I've tried this and it works well.  Of course the downside is it's a fairly small screen but for a dedicated navigation screen it's cheaper than two paper charts.  Also good for maps.me and other land navigation and about a zillion other things.